The Beatles legends John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr famously spent time in India where they and their music was influenced by the country’s culture. And now a brand new documentary film will explore the Fab Four’s enduring love affair with the nation. The Beatles and India was inspired by Ajoy Bose’s book Across The Universe – The Beatles In India and now the author is making his directorial debut with the new movie.
According to The Beatles and India’s synopsis: “Rare archival footage, recordings and photographs, eye-witness accounts and expert comments along with location shoots across India, bring alive the fascinating journey of George, John, Paul and Ringo from their high octane celebrity lives in the West to a remote Himalayan ashram in search of spiritual bliss that inspires an unprecedented burst of creative songwriting. It is the first serious exploration of how India shaped the development of the greatest ever rock band and their own pioneering role bridging two vastly different cultures.”
Bose and his co-director and cultural researcher Pete Compton have set about “delving deep into the most crucial period of their evolution from the world’s most famous pop stars into multi-faceted pioneering musical artists.”
Alongside The Beatles and India’s release will be a companion album that will include interpretations of Beatles songs by contemporary Indian artists.
Artists include Vishal Dadlani, Kissnuka, Benny Dayal, Dhruv Ghanekar, Karsh Kale, Anoushka Shankar, Soulmate and many others.
The upcoming album will feature Beatles songs written by the Fab Four during their stay in Rishikesh India.
They include Mother Nature’s Son, Revolution, Sexy Sadie, Dear Prudence and Child of Nature.
The first single, a cover of John Lennon’s love letter to the country in India, India, is performed by Nikhil D’Souza and is out now, while the full record will follow later this year.
Additionally, The Beatles and India movie will premiere on June 6 at the BFI as part of the Tongues On Fire UK Asian Film Festival, ahead of a wider release in the autumn.
11. Back In The USSR – Karsh Kale / Farhan Ahktar
12. I’m So Tired – Lisa Mishra
13. Sexy Sadie – Siddharth Basrur
14. Martha My Dear – Nikhil D’Souza
15. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) – Parekh & Singh
16. Revolution – Vishal Dadlani
17. Love You To – Dhruv Ghanekar
18. Dear Prudence – Karsh Kale / Monica Dogra
19. India, India – Nikhil D’Souza
Also released this year is Peter Jackson’s documentary film The Beatles: Get Back.
The upcoming movie follows the Fab Four’s recording sessions of their final album in 1970’s Let It Be.
Jackson had access to over 55 hours of footage and 140 hours of audio that are largely unseen.
The director’s film will be a revisionist approach to the original Let It Be movie and challenge the notion that the band wasn’t getting along when recording the album.
The Beatles Get Back is released in cinemas on August 27, 2021.
Published at Sun, 30 May 2021 08:06:00 +0000
The Beatles and India documentary and companion album announced: LISTEN to first single
